Every fifth e-cigarette user suffers from chronic lung disease. This is reported in a study published in the journal JAMA Network Open.
In the course of the study, specialists from the University of Boston (USA) found that the risk of chronic diseases among consumers of electronic cigarettes is about 31 percent higher than those who have never smoked. Even those who quit smoking remain at increased likelihood of lung damage — the risk of disease is about 28 percent higher than that of nonsmokers. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and asthma have been reported as respiratory diseases commonly seen in e-cigarette users.
To reveal the degree of risk of developing diseases, doctors analyzed the habits of patients who were diagnosed with one of the respiratory diseases in the period from 2013 to 2018. It turned out that 14 thousand participants in the study had never used electronic cigarettes, while more than five thousand people gave up the bad habit, and about 2.3 thousand were currently smoking. The data showed that 144 users of e-cigarettes developed chronic bronchitis, 119 – asthma, 94 smokers diagnosed with COPD, and 62 users of nicotine-containing mixtures – emphysema.
As a result, scientists found that about one in five smokers was diagnosed with one of four respiratory diseases. Lung problems were reported in 15 percent of those who quit e-cigarettes. The risk of respiratory disease among those who have never smoked e-cigarettes was estimated at 10 percent.
“Our article is one of the first to suggest that e-cigarette use can cause long-term respiratory damage,” said study co-author Andrew C. Stokes. According to the specialist, recently there has been a tendency for young people to be attracted by alternative methods of nicotine consumption.
Earlier, representatives of the Ministry of Health said that consumers of electronic cigarettes are at risk of contracting coronavirus. Deputy Minister of the Department Oleg Salagay noted that this category of people more often than others suffers from such chronic diseases as pneumonia and bronchitis.
